A Red Pair
by BBC Addict
Summary: Scotty had made it just a few steps past his door when a collision sent him sprawling on the floor. "Och," he grunted. "I am so sorry," the woman said. Finally seeing her face, Scotty smiled. "I'm glad to see you again, too, lassie, but you don't catch me trying to tackle you to the ground."
1. Chapter 1

It was tradition that after receiving new orders, 'Fleeters went out for a celebratory round or three. Uhura and her friend Christine had just been assigned to the_ Enterprise_. Uhura wasn't really in the mood to be jostled and propositioned by a bunch of nearly-drunk men in a noisy pub, but she knew Christine and the other girls would be very disappointed if she refused. She pulled on her off-duty attire, still Starfleet issue, but far more comfortable than her uniform, and headed out to meet her friends.

The pub was unusually crowded and noisy as many new assignments had been given-_Enterprise, Endeavor, Archer,_ just to name a few ships, had taken on a number of new crewmen.

Uhura's girlfriends had allowed themselves to pulled onto what passed for a dance floor and Uhura looked on with slight distaste. Uhura loved to dance, but she didn't consider standing on a crowded floor shaking various parts of her anatomy to a thumping bass to be dancing. She sighed and took another sip of her drink.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doin', sittin' there all alone?" a masculine voice slurred in her ear. Uhura rolled her eyes. She looked the man up and down without turning her head and pointedly ignored him. The thing she hated most about bars was that she couldn't effectively pull rank. Drunken men were notoriously bad at taking orders.

Undeterred, the man spoke again. "Come on, girl, give me a dance." At her continued silence, he tried something else. "No? Well then let me buy you another…what is it you've got there?"

Uhura finally looked at him. "No, thanks, I'm all set."

"S'not very ladylike to refuse such a generous offer. Bartender!" the man roared, "another drink for the lady while we head out on the floor."

Uhura shot the man a glare. Uhura's glares were well-known and had withered admirals to ensigns to noncomms to civilians. It had little effect on this particular man, however, and he stepped closer, laying a heavy hand on Uhura's thigh.

She shoved it off. Angered, the man grabbed her arm tightly and hissed, "That wasn't very nice, now, was it?"

Uhura was ready to slap the man's face, but she found it unnecessary as the man was spun around by an unseen force. "I believe the lass has made it clear your attention isna welcome," a man said in a thick Scottish brogue.

The drunk took a swing at the other man, but missed by a long shot. The Scot attempted to convince the other man to leave, but his only response was another wild swing. With a resigned expression on his face, Uhura's rescuer landed a hit square on the drunk's jaw, landing him on the floor. He then reached over and finished the last of his drink with a gulp before two beefy security men walked up. They glanced at the man on the floor, the Scot leaning against the bar, and the woman sitting on a stool. Without a word, they hauled the drunk to his feet and, with a nod at the Scot, non-too-gently dragged the man outside.

"Thanks," Uhura said, catching the eye of the man who'd stood up for her.

"You're quite welcome, lass," he replied. "It's not the first time I've had to deck that man. I dinna know how they manage here without me." He caught the bartender's eye and raised his glass, signaling for another drink. "How about you, lassie? Fancy another?"

Uhura nodded and the man pointed at her glass as well. He then turned his attention fully toward Uhura. "Montgomery Scott at your service. But you can call me Scotty."

Uhura flashed him her first genuine smile of the night. "I'm Uhura."

"Do you mind if I sit?" he asked.

"Not at all. I owe you," she replied.

Scotty shook his head. "That was no more than any decent man should have done."

Their drinks refilled, Uhura and Scotty sat chatting comfortably for some time. They were interrupted by a barely discernable chirp. Scotty pulled a communicator from his belt. "Scott here."

Uhura listened as a deep voice emotionlessly summoned Scotty back to his ship. "Aye, sir, I'm on my way." He flipped the device closed and threw back the last of his drink. "Sorry, lassie, duty calls. I canna let my ship explode before it takes off! I'd say that I'd hope to see you soon, but I'm shipping out in a few days."

"I am, too," Uhura responded in surprise.

"Where are you assigned?"

"The _Enterprise_."

A wide grin spread across Scotty's face. "By the stars, there's a piece of luck. That's where I am, too." He quickly looked her up and down. "You're not an engineer, are ya?"

Uhura shook her head. "No, but I'm still a red shirt-communications is my specialty."

Scotty took her hand in his and raised it slightly. "Well, I'll be looking forward to seein' you again, lass." He cast a glance around. "I'd get out of here now if I were you. The crowd's only going to get rougher."

"You're probably right. Goodbye, Scotty." She smiled at him as he turned and exited the pub.

Uhura finished her drink and slid off the stool. She knew Scotty's assessment was correct and she should leave now to avoid any further unpleasant encounters. She pushed through the crowd and tapped Christine on the shoulder. "I'm out of here!" she yelled in Christine's ear. Christine nodded and waved. Uhura shook her head as she walked away. Christine always seemed so prim and proper, but you couldn't get her to leave a party early.


	2. Chapter 2

Scotty straightened up and stretched. Engineering really took its toll on your back. As he rubbed his forehead, he had a nagging feeling he was forgetting something. His mental to-do list wasn't getting any shorter and the _Enterprise_ was scheduled to depart on its five year mission in a week. He didn't know who the previous engineer had been, but Scotty hoped he never met him, or her. Though to be fair, the ship had spent some time in space dock before Kirk had brought him on board…

Deciding since he was already taking a break to use the time to finish up the captain's requested status reports, Scotty grabbed a data pad and began copying the relevant information. Once he'd finished, he reached over to the intercom. "Scott to bridge." No reply. He tried again. No reply. He made a face as he remembered-shipwide communications were down and that's what else he was supposed to be taking a look at.

With a sigh, he decided to take his current reports to the captain personally. "LaForge," he called, summoning one of his crew. "I'm heading to the bridge. See what you can do with communications while I'm gone."

"Aye, sir," the ensign nodded.

Scotty grabbed the pad and noticed how grimy his hands were. He decided to grab a quick shower and change. No sense to be mucking up the bridge.

Feeling refreshed, Scotty once again retrieved the pad and set out for the bridge. He'd made it just a few steps past his door when a collision sent him sprawling on the floor. "Och," he grunted.

"I am so sorry," the woman said.

Finally seeing her face, Scotty smiled. "I'm glad to see you again, too, lassie, but you don't catch me trying to tackle you to the ground."

Uhura flushed, embarrassed. "I am sorry." She took a breath. "I'm glad it's you." She stopped and blinked. "That's not to say I'm glad I knocked you down." She stopped again. "The truth is I'm lost and I was due to meet the captain on the bridge five minutes ago and I'm a little flustered."

Scotty smiled as he stood and dusted himself off.. "I was headed there meself. We might as well go together."

Uhura smiled her thanks and the pair set off. By the time the turbolift had reached the bridge, Uhura's nerves had settled considerably. They flared up again slightly upon coming face-to-face with the captain as the doors opened, however.

"Mr. Scott," Captain Kirk said, "and Lieutenant Uhura, I presume?"

Uhura nodded. "Aye, sir."

"Lieutenant, if you'll wait there," Kirk said, gesturing to the communications station, "I'll be with you after Mr. Scott reports."

Scotty handed the captain the pad with the engineering reports and gave the captain a summary as well. "I apologize for communications still being down; it slipped my mind, but I've got one of the lads working on it now."

Kirk nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Scott. Hopefully you can restore communications before we're forced to resort to carrier pigeons."

"Aye, sir," Scotty replied with a chuckle. He flashed Uhura a reassuring smile before he left the bridge. He overheard the captain say, "Now, lieutenant, we can get to your interview," as the turbolift doors closed.

* * *

With a sigh of relief, Uhura flopped onto her bed. It didn't take long for her to realize she was too restless to stay there. Her data pad with a map of the ship firmly in hand, she ventured out.

Uhura first made sure she knew how to successfully navigate from her quarters to the bridge, then began exploring. She didn't encounter many other people; most of the crew wasn't aboard yet. The first officer and engineering personnel had been onboard for the past week and now other operations personnel were joining them.

She decided to try her luck in finding someone to talk to in the crew lounge. As the door hissed shut behind her, she found Scotty sitting at a table, cup of coffee in hand. He turned at the sound of the door and saluted her by raising his cup. "We meet again, lassie."

"So we do, Mr. Scott."

Scotty shook his head as Uhura seated herself next to him. "I don't see any pointed ears on ya, lass, so it's Scotty unless you're workin'."

"Yes, sir," she replied with a playful salute.

Chuckling, Scotty took another sip of his coffee. "How did the big bad captain treat ya?"

"Not too bad, considering. Despite my poor sense of direction, I have a pretty good record and he seemed suitably impressed."

Scotty nodded and finished his coffee. "I hate to abandon ya, lass, but an engineer's work is never finished. You wouldna normally catch me lollygaggin' about when there's work to be done, but ya canna expect a ship to run smoothly if her engineer's run down himself." He stood. "If ya canna find anything else to do, come on down to engineering. With communications down, you never know when I might need to send a message to the captain. Being you're in communications and all, it seems running messages would be in your job description."

Uhura chuckled a bit. "It's been a long time since I was just a message girl."

"Aye." Feeling he may have been rude, he added, "I dinna intend to offend ya."

"Don't worry. If I thought you were the type to insult me, you might've found some of that coffee in your lap."

"I don't doubt it." They both laughed as Scotty left the room.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, Geordi LaForge had a predecessor aboard the ****_Enterprise_****. Canon or not, it amuses me. **


	3. Chapter 3

The _Enterprise_ departed on its five year mission of exploration and discovery amidst great fanfare. About a week later, Uhura was relaxing in her quarters after just getting off her shift. She'd been named head of communications, so she'd spent a lot of time on the bridge recently, occupied both with her normal duties and extensive explanations from both misters Spock and Scott on the maintenance, repairs, and bypasses she may need to perform.

She'd just about fallen asleep when her door chime sounded. "Come," she called, rubbing her eyes.

Her visitor was none other than the captain. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, Lieutenant."

"No, sir. Another five minutes and you might have, though."

"I just came by to personally extend an invitation to dinner tonight."

Uhura narrowed her eyes. Maybe she was just overtired, but Captain Kirk had a reputation, and now he was inviting her to dinner? "Is this a private dinner for just the two of us? Because if that's the case, you can just turn around right now, mister."

Kirk was slightly taken aback. "I assure you, Lieutenant, it is a dinner for all the department heads."

"Oh," Uhura said. "Well, of course I'll be there." She frowned. "It might be awkward, sir, but I'm not sorry about what I said before."

Kirk nodded. "See you later, lieutenant."

"Yes, sir." As soon as the door hissed closed behind the captain, Uhura collapsed on her bed. Had she really just accused the captain of coming on to her? At least she hadn't lied-she wasn't sorry she'd told him off on that score.

She sighed. Back in San Francisco, she couldn't count the number of women who'd sighed with envy over her assignment; every single one of them was pining for the opportunity to serve under James T. Kirk. Uhura didn't share their fascination. Jim Kirk was renowned for loving and leaving at least one girl on every planet or city he visited.

Her thoughts inevitably drifted to the chief engineer. Scotty had a reputation with the ladies, too, only his was that of a gentleman. There were stories about his past relationships floating around Starfleet, many of them about how the woman had been certain Scotty was the one, at least until the next Jim Kirk showed up and swept her off her feet for a short-lived whirlwind romance. Uhura had learned the hard way the superiority of chivalry over suavity. If she were to be fraternizing with anybody aboard the_ Enterprise_, Scotty was the top candidate.

* * *

Uhura, Scotty, and McCoy sat at a table in the lounge. Spock, in an unusual sociable fit, was not only present but playing his lute. Uhura was a songbird and was quite unable to keep herself from vocalizing. Spock stopped playing abruptly and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry, I did it again, didn't I?" Uhura apologized.

Spock permitted a gleam to escape his eyes and the tiniest of smiles to grace his lips for just a moment before he resumed playing. Uhura recognized the invitation and stood. She improvised a song about Mr. Spock, much to the amusement of the crew. Spock played on, largely unresponsive, though Uhura did manage to earn a few eyebrow raises and one resigned tilt of the head.

Scotty couldn't tear his gaze from Uhura as she wandered about the room during her song. McCoy happened to look at Scotty and saw that the man was positively beaming. McCoy sighed inwardly. Having shared assignments with Scotty before, this wasn't the first time he'd seen his friend in such a state. He resolved to have a word with the lieutenant. He wasn't going to sit back and let Scotty be crushed again.

* * *

A few days later, Uhura was exiting the turbolift on D deck heading for her quarters when she found Dr. McCoy waiting for her.

"Lieutenant," he said, "mind if I have a word?"

"Not at all. Would you care to join me in my quarters?"

"Thank you," he said.

Uhura led him into her room, glad she'd been in a tidying mood earlier. She motioned the doctor to a chair and she sat facing him.

Doctor McCoy took a deep breath and looked a little uncomfortable. "Please don't think I'm trying to tell you what to do, lieutenant. I'm only speaking out of concern for a good friend."

"Scotty," she stated.

McCoy nodded. "You wouldn't think it by the look of him, but sometimes he's as innocent as a teddy bear. He can't do anything by halves and he usually doesn't see when the other shoe's about to drop." McCoy paused, shaking his head at the memory of some of Scotty's past relationships. "Be a decent human being, lieutenant. If you decide it's not something you want to pursue, don't keep him dangling for the fun of it."

"I give you my word. I won't hurt him on purpose."

McCoy nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

**A/N: Uhura's singing scene is adapted from Charlie X. On Youtube, 'Uhura sings about Spock.' On another note, it has seemed to me that Kirk doesn't quite look at Uhura like he does other women. As far as I recall, there was never any flirtation or suggestion about the two of them like there was surrounding Janice Rand. I choose to think it's because Uhura put him in his place and he respected her for doing it. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts if you'd care to share in the reviews…**


	4. Chapter 4

Uhura strode purposefully down the corridor. It was rare she went off-duty during the day and she was looking forward to spending some time in the rec room with other lively human beings. A thought suddenly struck her. Spock wasn't on duty either. Uhura took a detour to Spock's quarters. She found the Vulcan 'fascinating,' to borrow a phrase. She knew emotions ran deep beneath his calm demeanor and her mischievous side couldn't help but try to crack his facade. She never had the success Doctor McCoy did, though.

She buzzed Spock's door, but there was no response. That didn't stop her; she went right in and grabbed Spock's lute off the wall. Spock had a passion for music, though most people would dismiss the notion of Vulcans having passion, and as Uhura had that same passion, he had early on told her she was free to borrow his lute whenever she wished, trusting that she would treat it appropriately.

Uhura entered the rec room and a number of people cheered. Uhura's singing was always appreciated.

She'd already sung a few songs and was taking a break, strumming idly, when Lt. Kevin Riley's plaintive voice echoed through the comm system begging for amusement and then a song to let him know he wasn't alone in the universe. Uhura gladly obliged, singing one of her favorite love songs. "How did you like that, Riley?" she asked.

Uhura just barely made out Riley's strangled whisper of, "Help me, please." She punched the intercom. "Scotty, you'd better check on Riley."

Scotty dashed into the auxiliary control room and found Riley collapsed on the floor. "Scott to McCoy. Man down."

* * *

Uhura sat a few tables away from Mr. Spock in the rec room as the _Enterprise_ continued on its scheduled course after leaving the remains of the Karidian Company behind. Spock was softly strumming his lute and Uhura was aimlessly humming along when Riley entered. He sat near Uhura and listened for a few moments. "Don't you know anything a little more lively, Mr. Spock?" he inquired.

Without so much as raising an eyebrow, Spock launched into a lively tune. "That's more like it!" Riley cried. "Uhura, would you care to dance?" he asked, playfully bowing and extending his hand.

"Why, thank you, Riley," she said with a curtsy.

The pair performed a jig while singing the verses at the top of their lungs. After a final long warbling note, they collapsed in their seats, laughing. Just then, the doors hissed open, revealing a grimy chief engineer. "Ah, Riley, just the lad I wanted to see."

Riley's face fell.

"Ya haven't been transferred back to communications, laddie, so back down to engineering ya go. I could use a hand with the dilithium couplings."

Riley sighed as he slowly stood. "Yes, sir." Secretly, he hoped the captain would hurry up and transfer him back to communications. He really didn't enjoy the constant stress and mess of working in engineering.

"Have fun, Riley," Uhura called after him, knowing he was scowling but unable to retort with Scotty standing right there. "I hope I get him back in communications soon, Scotty."

Scotty threw up his hands defensively. "It's nothing to do wi' me, lassie. But he's a fine hand with a hyperspanner. I was sorry to lose him the first time around and I'll be sorry to lose him again."

* * *

The next afternoon, Uhura headed into the communications room and was happy to see that Riley was back. "Welcome back, Riley. I'm glad the captain remembered your transfer."

Riley smiled at her. "Thanks, but I'm not sure the captain would have remembered if I hadn't asked him after I was finally released from engineering last night."

"It couldn't have been that bad," Uhura said.

"No? I may have been out of engineering for a while, but there's no reason I should have been stuck doing grunt work. That's what the NCOs are for. I _am_ a lieutenant."

"Since when does adjusting dilithium couplings count as grunt work?" Uhura asked.

"I wasn't anywhere near the dilithium couplings," Riley retorted. "It was like I was in trouble for something."

* * *

McCoy looked up as the doors to Sickbay slid open. "Scotty." After a quick visual examination determined Scotty wasn't injured, McCoy set his data pad down. "Is this a social call?"

"Aye."

McCoy walked over to his cabinet and pulled out two glasses and a decanter of something bright orange. "It's Orion," McCoy remarked as he filled the glasses. "It comes highly recommended."

Scotty raised the glass and took a whiff before he carefully took a sip. He evaluated it for a few moments. "It's no Scotch, but it's not bad."

McCoy smiled and shook his head. Someday, Scotty was going to cause a diplomatic incident by comparing native beverages to Scotch.

As they sat sipping their drinks, Scotty was uncharacteristically quiet. Finally with a pointed gaze, McCoy broke the silence. "Alright, Scotty, who do I need to poison?"

Scotty snorted before taking a large gulp. "I think it might be me."

McCoy merely raised his eyebrows and took another sip.

"I had Riley scrubbing out waste filters. And refillin' the lubricant canisters," Scotty said, naming the two messiest jobs engineering had to offer, usually reserved for punishment or new crew members.

"Scotty! The poor kid just came face to face with the man who murdered his family! What were you thinking?"

"I couldna help it. When I walked in and same him sittin' there wi' her laughin'...they just looked so _young_."

"Her?" McCoy asked, though he suspected he already knew which her Scotty meant.

"Aye, it was Lt. Uhura. I was jealous. I dinna even have a good reason-they were just laughin'." He took another gulp of his drink. "Does that make me a bad person?"

McCoy shook his head. "Scotty, I'm your doctor and your friend, not your conscience." He let the silence hang for a long moment. "I hope you won't do that to the poor kid again."

Scott let out a derisive chuckle. "If the lad's got any sense of self-preservation, he'll have asked the captain for a transfer by now. Goodness know I would have if I'd had a boss so unreasonable."

"You and I have been around the block a few times, Scotty. You can't go around with a chip on your shoulder just because most of the crew's got less mileage on them."

"Aye." Scotty knocked back the rest of his drink. McCoy finished his own and then poured them each another.

"We're both still on duty, so just one more," he said.

* * *

**A/N: The episode referenced here is The Conscience of the King.**


	5. Chapter 5

Uhura set the frequency to stand-by and signaled the captain. "Captain, I'm picking up a sub-space distress call, priority channel. It's from space station K-7."

Kirk ordered a red alert and had the ship accelerate to warp factor six. When the _Enterprise_ arrived, however, they found nothing amiss at the station. Kirk had Uhura signal the station and the manager of K-7, Mr. Lurry, apologized for the distress call and asked Kirk to beam down. Kirk, annoyed, motioned for Spock to accompany him as he headed to the transporter room.

Nilz Baris was waiting in Mr. Lurry's office when Kirk and Spock arrived. Kirk seemed to have developed a repetitive stutter as Mr. Baris, Federation Undersecretary for Agricultural Affairs for the quadrant, demanded Kirk post security guards around the storage compartments containing quadro-tritcale. Kirk was no less than furious to discover Baris had used a priority distress signal to get guards for some wheat, but since he had no choice in the matter, he grudgingly assigned two security guards to the grain and authorized shore leave for those of the crew who were off-duty.

Uhura was among the first to beam down to the space station. She wandered into the bar and her attention was drawn by a large man in a many-pocketed jacket. He called her attention to what appeared to be a small furry ball. He held it out to her and Uhura found it wasn't a ball, it was a creature, a tribble, to be precise. Uhura eagerly took the tribble in her hand and stroked it. It emitted a soothing trill. She smiled. After the peddler and bartender had haggled out a deal, the peddler gave the purring tribble to Uhura as a gift and she cuddled it to her chest. By the next morning, Uhura's lone tribble had multiplied into a dozen and as she sat in the rec room with them, various members of the crew adopted the babies.

* * *

Uhura scurried into the transporter room just in time to hear Kirk instruct Scotty to take a little shore leave and to hear Scotty's almost dejected, "Aye, sir." She caught his eye and gave him a wink as she stepped onto the pad. He visibly brightened as he joined her.

In the bar, Scotty and Uhura sat at one table while Chekov and Freeman occupied another. Scotty and Uhura were having a fine time, oblivious to their surroundings-until one of the Klingons, leaning against the bar, began insulting Captain Kirk. Scotty kept his cool and he instructed the other crewmembers to do the same. But when the Klingon said that the _Enterprise _should be hauled away as garbage, that was it. Scotty slowly stood up, drew back his arm, and slammed his fist into the Klingon's jaw. Uhura sent him a scolding look, which he had barely acknowledged before another Klingon stood. Not waiting to be attacked, Scotty launched himself at the Klingon and a full-scale brawl erupted. Uhura, after elbowing a Klingon in the gut, purely in self-defense, signaled the _Enterprise_ to beam her up. Moments later, a number of security men ran inside and broke up the 'small disturbance.'

Kirk paced up and down the line of crewmen who'd been involved in the fight. No one would admit to starting it, so Kirk restricted all of them to quarters. Keeping Scotty behind the rest, he asked who had thrown the first punch.

Hanging his head, Scotty replied, "Um, I did, Captain."

"You did, Mr. Scott?" Kirk asked incredulously. At Scotty's nod, he continued, "What caused it?"

"They insulted us, sir."

"That must have been some insult."

"Aye, it was."

Kirk shook his head. "You threw the first punch."

"Aye. Chekov wanted to, but I held him back."

"You held-Why did Chekov want to start a fight?"

Reluctantly, Scotty replied, "Well, sir, the Klingons called you a swaggering, overbearing, tin-plated dictator with delusions of godhood."

"Is that all?"

"No, sir. They also compared you with a Denibian slime devil."

"And after they said all this, that's when you hit the Klingons."

"No, sir," Scotty replied, indignant. Kirk's face contorted in surprise. Scotty continued, "You told us to avoid trouble and I didna see that it was worth fightin' about. After all," he said, bouncing up on his toes, "we're big enough to take a few insults."

"What was is they said that started the fight?"

"They called the _Enterprise _a garbage scow," he said, adding, "sir," a moment later.

"I see. And that's when you hit the Klingons?" Kirk said slowly. Scotty nodded. Kirk continued, rather stunned, "You hit the Klingons because they insulted the _Enterprise_, not because they..."

"Well, sir, this was a matter of pride."

Kirk nodded. "Alright, Scotty, you're restricted to quarters until further notice. Dismissed."

"Aye, sir." He had nearly taken a step back when his face lit up. "Thank you, sir."

* * *

The tribbles had taken over the _Enterprise_ and the space station. Realizing the tribbles may also have invaded the quadro-triticale, Kirk and Spock beamed down to the station again. Kirk opened a storage compartment and tribbles rained down upon him. Digging his way out of the pile, Kirk listened as Baris ranted about Klingon spies, rolling his eyes as stray tribbles continued to fall and hit the back of his head. Dr. McCoy rushed in with the solution to the tribble trouble-quit feeding them. Just then, Spock realized many of the tribbles were dead.

After some analysis, Dr. McCoy found the grain had been poisoned. The culprit was Baris' secretary, Darvin, who was actually a Klingon agent trying to prevent the Federation from developing Sherman's Planet. Kirk quite enjoyed himself using the tribbles as weapons of intimidation against Darvin and the Klingon captain.

When Kirk reentered the bridge, all the tribbles were gone. Kirk asked where they had gone. Spock finally admitted that he'd had them transported onto the Klingon ship.

* * *

As the _Enterprise _resumed its course, Uhura spent a few moments contemplating what to do with her remaining off-duty time. It seemed to her that Scotty owed her a drink, and the last time she checked, confined to quarters didn't mean under isolation…

Scotty was so absorbed in his reading and the occasional wee nip of Scotch that he didn't hear his door chime the first few times. "Enter," he called after the third ring, not looking up.

"Scotty, I think you have a problem."

At the sound of Uhura's voice, Scotty started and very nearly dropped his data pad. What was worse, he spilled his drink. "Lassie!" he exclaimed. "I wasna expecting visitors."

Uhura chuckled as she moved to help Scotty collect the papers he'd scattered with his jump. "It's a good thing I stopped by," she said. "Who knows how many of these things you would've gone through before you returned to duty." Scotty flushed slightly. Uhura looked him straight in the eye and, wagging a finger, said, "Now, Scotty, promise me you're not going to read another technical journal until tomorrow."

He nodded sadly. "Alright, lass. Ya have my word."

Uhura stacked the papers neatly on Scotty's desk and placed his confiscated data pad on top of them. She opened a drawer and pulled out a glass. She handed it to Scotty and he meekly filled it before reaching for his own.

"Since you're being punished for starting that fight, I figured I'd better stop in. My presence here is more of a punishment than leaving you alone to study blueprints and sip Scotch," Uhura said with a wink as she seated herself.

"I confess I was lookin' forward to the chance to catch up on my readin'. But your company could never be considered punishment."

Uhura smiled behind her glass. "I've been dying to know. How'd the captain react when you told him about what started the fight?"

"To be honest, he got this funny look on his face when he realized it was the insult to the ship, not him, that made me hit that Klingon petaQ."

Uhura laughed. She could just picture the captain's face.

* * *

**A/N: The Trouble With Tribbles.**

**In case you're not fluent in Klingon, or Klingoni, petaQ has multiple shades of meaning from bastard to fool. **

**Oh, and Chekov is not helping Uhura shop. That's just weird. **

**Don't you love Kirk's face during that exchange with Scotty? **

**Scotty is not the one who transported the tribbles; after all, he had been confined to quarters.**


	6. Chapter 6

Uhura felt an unusual dizziness as the landing party materialized. The transport hadn't gone smoothly. She felt an unusual chill as she stepped off the pad. She caught a glimpse of Scotty and was puzzled. She quickly glanced at the captain and Dr. McCoy. She then looked at herself as best she could. She was about to vocalize her concerns when she felt Scotty's hand on her arm. She understand his warning to keep silent and she remained so until they reached sickbay.

Captain Kirk and Scotty talked out the problem and came to the conclusion that they'd transported into a parallel universe. Kirk ordered Scotty to engineering to sabotage the phasers in an effort to spare the Halkans on the planet below. He instructed Uhura to go to the bridge to find out his orders and options in that regard. Scotty objected. "You're sendin' her up there alone to face those maniacs?"

"I'll be there in a few minutes, Scotty."

"Aye, cap'n," Scotty said, clearly not satisfied.

Uhura and Scotty hurried off. They paused briefly in the corridor outside. "Be careful, Scotty."

"Aye. The same goes for you, lassie." Before she turned to go, Scotty pulled her close and planted a quick kiss on her forehead. "For luck," he explained. "We'll both need some."

* * *

Uhura glanced around the bridge, trying to get her bearings. At least the ship itself was the same-she shouldn't have any problems accessing Kirk's orders from command about dealing with the Halkans. Uhura felt rather than saw someone behind her. She turned to look and found herself gazing up at Sulu. He was wearing a red tunic and had a long scarring running down his face. "Still no interest, Uhura?" he purred, stroking her cheek.

"You're away from your post, mister," Uhura replied, pulling back slightly.

"Is the captain here? Is Spock here?" he laughed. "When the cat's away-"

Uhura slapped his hand from her face. Before he could react, the doors opened and Kirk stepped onto the bridge. Uhura let out a sigh of relief as the entire bridge crew performed the ritual salute. Kirk came over to Uhura's station. "Communications status," he demanded loudly.

"No storm damage, sir," she replied. In a whisper, she added, "You're ordered to annihilate the Halkans if they don't comply. No alternative."

Kirk frowned as he nodded once. Just then, Scotty's voice came over the intercom. "Phaser report, sir. No damage." Scotty's message was clear-he'd been unable to sabotage the phasers. Kirk obviously stunned the bridge crew by then giving the Halkans twelve hours to reconsider their position. He then ordered Uhura to have Mr. Scott and Dr. McCoy meet him in his quarters.

* * *

With the help of the ship's computer, Kirk and Scotty came up with a plan to get off the parallel _Enterprise_.

"We just have one problem, Captain. We have to lay in the automatic transporter setting, but when we interrupt engine circuits to tie the power increase into the transporter, it'll show up on Sulu's security board. His security is like the ancient Gestapo. Of course, we'll only need a second."

"I'll tell Uhura to create a diversion to distract Sulu at your signal."

"What kind of diversion?" Scotty asked suspiciously.

"I have to leave that to her," Kirk answered. "Don't worry, Scotty, she can take care of herself."

Uhura's communicator beeped. She casually pulled it out. "Go ahead," she murmured.

"We've got a plan. Scotty's going to signal in about ten minutes. You need to keep Sulu's attention off the security board for a few moments."

"I think I can do that, sir."

"Good luck. Kirk out."

Ten minutes later, Uhura's communicator beeped twice. At the signal, Uhura stood and, catlike, strolled over to Sulu at the helm. "You aren't very persistent, Mr. Sulu. The game has rules. You're ignoring them. I protest and you come back." She tapped his cheek lightly with her stylus. "You didn't come back."

Sulu wrapped his arms around her bare midriff. "Now you're making sense."

"I was getting bored." Sulu pulled her closer and pushed her up against the helm. "Of course this isn't the time," she protested. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a light blink on the console while a short beep sounded.

"Any time's a good time," he replied.

Uhura slapped his face, hard. "I'm afraid I changed my mind. Again," she said innocently.

Sulu rubbed his face and scowled. "You take a lot of chances, Lieutenant."

Uhura drew her dagger. "So do you, mister. So do you." She walked backwards off the bridge into the turbolift, never taking her eyes off Sulu.

* * *

Uhura didn't relax until she met up with Scotty and McCoy in sickbay. A few minutes later, the captain appeared, held at phaserpoint by Spock. Not wishing to reveal their plan, Kirk waited and found an opportunity to take Spock unawares. All four of them were forced to join the struggle against Spock. Finally, Kirk disabled him by smashing a skull into Spock's skull. He lay on the floor, motionless. Kirk, Scotty, and Uhura made to leave, but McCoy was loath to leave the man to die. Kirk allowed him to remain behind a few moments to attend to Spock's injuries.

The other three hurried to the transporter room to find the captain's woman, Marlena, waiting for them. She demanded that she leave with them, but when Kirk refused, she pulled out a phaser.

With a sad smile, Kirk said, "If you kill us, you'll still stay."

Uhura had moved behind Marlena and, taking advantage of her hesitation at Kirk's words, wrestled the phaser from Marlena's hand.

McCoy soon arrived, supported by Mr. Spock. "I shall operate the transporter. You have two minutes and ten seconds."

Kirk used that time to pitch starting a revolution to Spock. Spock's last words were, "Captain Kirk, I shall consider it."

* * *

All four let out a collective sigh of relief when they materialized in their own transporter. Scotty stepped over to Uhura and she leaned back against him as their Mr. Spock welcomed them home.

* * *

**A/N: The fun experience for the foursome from Mirror, Mirror.**


	7. Chapter 7

For once, Uhura wasn't enjoying the noise of the rec room. She walked out and went into the lounge instead. It wasn't deserted, but it was quieter. Uhura took a seat in a corner and the look on her face kept anyone from approaching. Some time later, Uhura tensed as she spied Sulu entering.

He came over and sat next to her. "How's it going?" he asked in his normal friendly manner.

"Fine," she replied.

"That's good." It wasn't like Uhura to respond monosyllabically. He tried again. "What was the parallel universe like?"

"Terrifying," she said. "I'm sorry, I've...I've gotta go...go triaxilate a carrier wave," she stammered and practically ran out of the room. Sulu stared after her, completely confused.

A little later in the mess, Scotty overheard Sulu telling Chekov about how strangely Uhura had behaved earlier. "It was like she was afraid of me or something. I can't figure why."

Scotty left his half-eaten pie on the table and went in search of Uhura. He first checked her quarters-they were empty. He tried Nurse Chapel's-also empty. He also looked in Yeoman Rand's quarters, the conference rooms, sickbay, and the observation deck. No luck. Disheartened, he trudged to the turbolift and headed back to engineering. He could at least work on something to get his mind off the lost lieutenant.

Scotty stepped into his office to check the latest maintenance report but stopped short when he found Uhura there, curled up on the old couch that Scotty more than occasionally used as a bed. "I've been looking everywhere for ya, lassie," he said softly.

"You didn't think to look here first?" she said with a half smile that quickly faded.

Scotty took a few more steps inside. "I overheard Sulu sayin' you ran away from him earlier. Care to talk about that?"

Uhura sighed. "I can't get that other Sulu out of my head."

Scotty sat down on the edge of his desk. "I can understand that. He was one scary lad." He examined Uhura's countenance with narrowed eyes. "Did he do something to ya?" he asked with a dangerous edge in his voice.

She frowned. "He put his hands on me. Possessively. It wasn't like when some guy at a bar gets a little too friendly. I can handle that. With him, I felt...dirty." She shivered. "He was going to hit me right before the captain came to the bridge." She looked at Scotty briefly before returning her gaze to the floor. "Then, after I distracted him, I had to pull that dagger out of my boot." She fell silent for a moment. "I know he wasn't _our _Sulu, but when Sulu came up to me in the lounge I couldn't help but see that other man and remember how he grabbed me and I couldn't breathe. I had to get out of there."

Scotty left the desk and sat down next to Uhura on the couch. He put one arm around her shoulders. Uhura nestled her head against his chest as Scotty gently stroked her hair. "You're safe now, lassie," he said softly. "I willna let anybody hurt ya."

* * *

Uhura jerked awake. She had a crick in her neck and she wasn't in her quarters. She shifted around a little and tried to get her bearings. Suddenly, she realized she was in Scotty's office. Scotty was next to her on his couch and it appeared her sudden movement had awakened him as well. Uhura finally stood up, mumbling something about being on duty and needing to hurry.

"Wait, lass. You're not on duty today. Neither am I, and neither is the doctor or the captain. After ya fell asleep I mentioned to the doctor that we all could probably do with some time off. He agreed and took us all off rotation. Ya don't have to rush anywhere. Unless ya want to, of course," he added a bit hesitantly.

Uhura sat back down. "No. I don't want to leave, in a rush or otherwise," she said with a meaningful smile.

* * *

**A/N: This is just a continuation of events from Mirror Mirror. I stole the triaxilate a carrier wave from an episode of _Enterprise_ because I am no good at the technobabble. **


	8. Chapter 8

Uhura gladly packed her bags. She was heading back to the _Enterprise_ after being temporarily reassigned to supervise several new trainees at her old position on the Federation outpost near Andoria. Though she had enjoyed brushing up on her Andorian and seeing some old friends, she had to admit she'd been bored by the end of her assignment and she missed her _Enterprise _crewmates.

The _Enterprise _was currently at Memory Alpha, so Uhura had to take a rather long trip aboard several different ships before she made it home. She smiled at herself for calling a starship home. It sounded like something Scotty would say...

* * *

Uhura finally was able to beam aboard _Enterprise _and she hurried to her quarters to unpack and relax. As she entered her room, she was puzzled to find things strewn about haphazardly-a pair of tights hung over a chair, a bit of a blue uniform peeked out of the closet door, several data pads lay on the bed. Uhura went to the comm panel. "Janice?" she said.

"Uhura!" Janice said in surprise. "You're back ahead of schedule."

"I didn't exactly take the scheduled ships," Uhura admitted. "I ran into an old friend on the way back and he found me a faster route."

"Well, welcome back. What can I do for you?"

"Actually, it seems someone's staying in my room."

"Oh, I completely forgot! Since you were going to be gone for awhile, the captain lent your room out to Lt. Romaine."

"I see. Thanks, Janice. See you later," Uhura said. She didn't know who this Lt. Romaine was, but it sounded like her presence was going to be temporary, so rather than fuss about getting her quarters back, Uhura grabbed her bags and headed to sickbay. Christine wouldn't mind doubling up for a little while.

Christine looked up as the doors to sickbay hissed open. She smiled as she saw Uhura enter. "You're back early," she said.

"I am," Uhura replied, "and because I'm early I need a place to stay. My room's been commandeered."

"Of course you can stay with me until Mira's assignment is finished."

"Mira?"

"Lt. Mira Romaine. She was assigned to transfer and install the new equipment at Memory Alpha." She stood. "Just give me a minute to let Leonard know I'm leaving and then we can head to my quarters."

Once they'd reached Christine's quarters, Christine asked maintenance to set up another bed as Uhura set her bags in a corner. Then Uhura followed Christine to the second chamber and they both sat down on Christine's bed.

"How was the outpost?" Christine asked.

"It was nice to visit, see some old friends. The new kids were fun, too." Uhura grinned at her friend. "Nobody expects a serious Starfleet lieutenant from a starship to pull pranks." Christine laughed. "Anything good happen while I was gone?"

"Oh, lots," Christine replied. "Never a dull moment on this ship. Sulu and Chekov managed to blow up the biology lab doing something with those plants Sulu found on Bryneer. It took Scotty a week to make repairs." Christine's laugh quickly faded and Uhura noticed. "What's the matter?" she asked.

Christine frowned. "It's all over the ship that Scotty's got a thing for Lt. Romaine."

Uhura grew serious. "What do you mean 'a thing'?"

Christine sighed. "He can't take his eyes off her and they're practically inseparable. This is her first deep space assignment and you know how Scotty is-he takes any girl under his wing. Plus they've been working together on the installation plans for the Memory Alpha equipment. Add in the fact that she almost died in an encounter with aliens and you've got a recipe for infatuation."

Uhura's mouth twisted into a disturbed frown and she crossed her arms. "While the cat's away, huh?"

Christine nodded. "They've been installing the equipment for a few days. From what I understand they have to do final testing and checks and then we're supposed to take the lieutenant back to Starbase 9."

Uhura sat silently in thought for a few minutes. "If you'll excuse me, Christine, I have a few things to do."

"Of course." They both stood and Christine gave her friend a hug. "I'm glad you're back." She added in a whisper, "Give him what he deserves."

* * *

Kirk turned in his chair as the turbolift opened. "Lieutenant!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, sir, I know, I'm early," she said in reply.

"I'm not complaining," Kirk said. "You're not here on duty, Uhura, so what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to beam down to the complex, sir. The Andorians sent a few things back with me they'd like added to the computers manually."

"Alright, Lieutenant. Go on down. I'll let Lt. Romaine know to be expect you."

"Thank you, sir." Uhura smiled as she left the bridge. The Andorian data had turned out to be a perfectly legitimate reason to pay Scotty and his new _friend _a visit.

* * *

After she'd materialized in the library complex, Uhura took a moment to get her bearings. Hearing a series of clangs and a very inappropriate Scottish word, Uhura knew where to head.

Scotty was mumbling under his breath as he struggled to remove a computer terminal. He jumped and dropped a wrench on his foot when someone touched his shoulder. "Ya gave me a fright!" he said in a slightly scolding manner as he turned, expecting to see Mira. His eyes widened and his face was lit by a smile. "Uhura! It's good to see ya, lass."

"Hi, Scotty," Uhura said.

"I didna think you'd be back for a few days yet."

"Just call me a miracle worker."

Scotty smiled again. "What brings you down here?"

Uhura pouted. "I wanted to see you, Scotty."

Scotty turned a shade redder and rocked up on his toes as he did when he was uncomfortable. "Oh, aye. Well, ya've seen me now."

"I missed you, Scotty," she continued, slowly moving closer.

"And we've all missed ya as well, lassie."

"I want to hear how much _you _missed me, Scotty," Uhura whispered, closing the gap between them until they centimeters apart.

Scott stammered incoherently. He thanked the stars when he heard Mira's voice. "Lieutenant Uhura? I'm Mira Romaine."

"Hello, Mira."

"Captain Kirk said you had some data for the library."

"I do."

"That's great. If you'd come over here, I'll enter it."

"Ok." Uhura took a few steps, then stopped and called over her shoulder in a sultry voice, "See you later, Mr. Scott."

Scotty turned bright red. He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

"So, lieutenant-" Mira began.

"Please, call me Uhura."

"And you can call me Mira. I understand you've been stationed on an outpost for a month. Was it good to be off the front line, so to speak?"

"It was for the first few days. To be honest, I got a little bored after that. Babysitting and language tutoring just can't compare to exploring the universe."

Mira smiled wryly. "I don't know if I'd agree. It seems to me space travel is more dangerous than fun."

Uhura remembered Christine mentioning that Mira had nearly died. "It can be dangerous. Especially on a starship where you're seeking out the unknown. It helps to have someone to rely on."

"It sure does," Mira said with a genuine smile. "I don't know how I would've handled this mission without Scotty."

Uhura nodded. "I felt the same way. Scotty's a rare man." Though she spoke lightly, Uhura watched as her words dimmed Mira's happy expression.

* * *

**A/N: I had intended this to be one chapter but it became longer than I expected so it's split.**


	9. Chapter 9

Scotty dropped the same wrench on the same foot as Mira tapped him on the shoulder. She looked at the computer terminal and shook her head. "Sometimes the best thing to do is stop and come back for a fresh start later." Scotty nodded. Mira instructed the rest of the installation crew to beam back up to the ship, then she and Scotty performed their nightly visual check of the equipment. They worked in unusual and slightly uncomfortable silence. Once they'd beamed back aboard the ship, Mira left Scotty with a hurried good night rather than their usual ritual of her taking his arm as he escorted her back to her quarters.

Once she was safely inside, Mira realized this was Uhura's room and she'd probably like it back. Mira contacted a yeoman and was assured that Uhura didn't mind doubling up with someone until Mira's assignment was complete. Mira was thankful she didn't have to pack up and move. She needed some time to process what Uhura had said earlier...

* * *

Scotty was in engineering replacing some conduits. It was a mindless job that as a bonus included lots of hitting things. He could channel some aggression while he tried to puzzle out what was going on with Uhura and Mira. Neither of them had behaved like themselves today.

* * *

Uhura and Christine were back in Christine's quarters, all set for a proper sleepover. Christine demanded details of Uhura's brief trip to the library complex and grinned as Uhura described how she'd flirted excessively with Scotty. She wasn't grinning while Uhura told her about what she'd said to Mira. "I don't blame you one bit, Uhura, but I wish none of this had happened. Mira's a nice girl."

A few minutes later, someone buzzed Christine's door. It was Lt. Kevin Riley. "Uhura! Was I glad to hear you're back. I could use your help." Riley explained that he and Ensign Mayweather had been planning a duet for the ship's talent show but she'd come down with a Rigelian virus and wouldn't be better in time for the performance.

Uhura agreed to take her place and accompanied Riley back to his quarters to rehearse. After an hour they sounded as if they'd been practicing for weeks.

* * *

Having finished all the conduits he could reasonably claim needed replacement, Scotty headed to the mess. Hearing Uhura's voice floating down the corridor, he ducked into a maintenance shaft. "See you, tomorrow, Riley."

"Thanks. It's great to have you back, Uhura."

Uhura walked down the corridor humming, a sure sign she was in a good mood. Scotty popped out of the shaft in a fine state. She hadn't even been back a whole day and she was visiting that no-good Irish rapscallion...

Rather than taking his anger out on Riley again, Scotty stalked off after Uhura. He soon caught up with her and blocked her path. "What are ya playin' at, lass? One moment you're fawnin' all over me and the next you're payin' a visit to Kevin Riley."

"Are you jealous, Scotty?"

"Aye, and I've a right to be!" Scotty exclaimed.

"I'm not so sure about that. Care to explain to me why I've been hearing things about you and Lieutenant Romaine?" Uhura asked pointedly with narrowed eyes.

"I dinna know what you're talkin' about," Scotty said, looking genuinely confused.

"Really? According to everyone else you're in love with her!" Uhura spat.

Scotty froze, stunned. "Aye, I'm fond of the lass," he began slowly. "She's nice. She was lonely when she first came here and needed a friend." He fell silent and studied the floor. He shook his head. "Leonard was right. I'm a lonely old man whose head is turned too easily." He looked up and saw Uhura's puzzled expression. "He tried to warn me I was headed for trouble but I didna really understand what he meant."

Uhura found she could easily believe Scotty hadn't realized what he was doing. Scotty was great with machinery, but he had some trouble when it came to relationships and people. Uhura's expression finally softened. With a sigh, she said, "I hate to be the one to do this to you, Scotty, but you have to choose Mira or me." She took a few steps away.

Scotty called after her. "Where are ya goin'?"

"I'm giving you some time to think about it, Scotty."

"I dinna need time to think about it, lass." He closed the gap again. "It's you, right after the _Enterprise_, of course."

Uhura couldn't help but chuckle at that classic Scotty remark. Her laugh completely melted the ice between them and Scotty wrapped his arms around her. Continuing his rare fit of recklessness, he pressed his lips to hers.

* * *

Mira hadn't been able to remain cooped up in her room. She roamed the corridors of the _Enterprise_, ducking out of sight whenever she heard voices. She was in no mood for conversation. At one point, raised voices caught her attention. Within moments she recognized Scotty's voice. She crept closer, wondering who could make Scotty so angry.

The voices lowered and Mira could no longer hear what they were saying. Risking being seen, she poked her head out from behind the wall. A moment later she was running down the corridor, heedless of the noise she made or the stunned looks that followed her. She burst into her room and flung herself on the bed. Thank God there was only a day or so worth of work left on Memory Alpha. She couldn't wait until she never had to see Montgomery Scott again.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you AllTheSnakes; without you I wouldn't have worked up this idea. I sent Uhura away because I couldn't see how Scotty would get close to Mira with Uhura still anywhere nearby. Uhura wasn't a big part of ****The Lights of Zetar,**** so I think it worked out. **


	10. Chapter 10

Uhura idly glanced at the clock she kept on her bedside table. She sighed with a mixture of resignation and amusement. It wasn't the first dinner date Scotty had been late for, and she know it wouldn't be the last. She stood and headed to the mess. After grabbing several of the more portable choices, she took the turbolift to Engineering.

Uhura paused to asked a technician where Scotty was. He directed her to the auxiliary control room. As Uhura walked away, another, newer, technician said, "Mr. Scott said he wasn't to be disturbed."

The older technician shook his head. "Kowalski, there are the rules and there are the exceptions to the rules. For instance, if Mr. Spock came down here asking where Mr. Scott was, you wouldn't refuse to tell him, would you?"

Kowalski shook his head.

"When Mr. Scott says he's not to be disturbed, he means we shouldn't bother him. Lt. Uhura is an exception."

"I don't think she's here on ship's business, though-" Kowalski began.

"That doesn't matter. Now, get back to work."

* * *

Uhura finally spied Scotty at the far end of the room, lying on a scooter, focused intently on the wiring above his head. A female ensign hovered close by, anxiously awaiting and trying to anticipate his every request for tools. She was obviously one of the new crewmembers.

Uhura sauntered over and pointedly ignored the ensign and her glares. She leaned against the control panel and waited. As Scotty lowered his arms, Uhura whisked the scooter out.

Her playfully scolding look was all Scotty needed. "Och, lassie! It went clear out o' me head!"

Uhura extended her free hand and pulled Scotty to a sitting position. "I thought as much." As he got to his feet, Uhura said, "I don't want to separate you from your true love, so I brought dinner to you." She revealed the packages she'd grabbed from the mess.

Scotty's only reply was to hang his head with an abashed smile. Uhura kissed his cheek. She took Scotty's arm and they walked to Scotty's office. Uhura casually glanced back at the ensign and pressed a little closer to Scotty as she faced forward again. There would be no more 'misunderstandings' as to Scotty's relationship status.

The pair settled down on Scotty's beat-up couch and opened the less than appealing meal packs. "Sometimes I dinna know how ya put up with me," Scotty said.

"I don't care about the food, Scotty," Uhura replied. "I care about the time I get to spend with you." She grinned mischievously and added, "But you do owe me a nice dinner on our next shore leave."

"I probably owe ya a dozen," he said, seriously.

"True. You'll just have to make them all up to me after this mission is over. I know I can't get you away from the ship or your technical journals that much."

Scotty just smiled at that sad truth.

* * *

**A/N: I know, it's short, but it does what I wanted it to. I adapted the scene from ****_ST V: The Final Frontier_**** and set it before the end of the five year mission. Also, two of my favorite things, _Stargate SG-1_ and_ Madagascar_ have characters named Kowalski, though the spelling isn't the same, so that's how I named one of the techs.**


	11. Chapter 11

Uhura and Scotty were, for once, not sitting on the old couch in his office in Engineering. They were actually in Scotty's quarters enjoying the last drink of their five year mission. The door chime sounded and at Scotty's summons, Dr. McCoy stepped into the room. He eyed their glasses. "You, too, huh?" he asked as he took a seat.

Scotty, making a great show, said grandly, "Just this once, Leonard, my scotch is your scotch."

"I appreciate that, Scotty," McCoy said. He helped himself to a glass. Seeing a data pad lying on the table, he asked, "So what's the next big adventure?"

"Shore leave," Scotty replied with a shudder, "a whole month's worth. Starfleet can't leave well enough alone—I'm to work on redesignin' and refittin' the old girl before she's sent out again. That'll be a good two years."

Uhura couldn't help but smile as she felt Scotty shudder again. "Fortunately for you, Mr. Scott, I'm taking the position at Starfleet Headquarters instead of the one on the _Archer_ delivering supplies to dilithium miners."

"What about you, Leonard?" Scotty asked. "Have ya made up your mind yet?"

McCoy took another sip of his scotch. "I'm retiring," he said slowly. "I'm getting too old for this, Scotty." He didn't add that he had no desire to break in another captain after spending so much time on Jim Kirk. "You heard anything about what's gonna happen to Jim, Uhura?"

She nodded. "Promotion for sure. Admiral James T. Kirk." The thought didn't bring smiles to their faces. In Starfleet, 'admiral' meant one thing: desk job. "They're still throwing around some ideas for what position. The latest proposal is Chief of Starfleet Operations."

"It'll be the death o' him," Scotty muttered.

"Who's getting the _Enterprise_ after the refit?" McCoy inquired.

"Willard Decker. It'll be his first command," Uhura said. "He's requested the senior officers remain with the _Enterprise_, so everyone's only received temporary assignments elsewhere. He's supposed to be pretty hands-on with a background in engineering, so I don't think you'll be able to pull your miracle-worker stunts on him, Scotty."

Scotty's eyes widened. "Stunts, ya say, lassie?"

Uhura quickly mollified him. "Of course, you're a real miracle worker, Scotty."

"Aye, and you'd do well to remember that, lass."

McCoy chuckled as the two continued their lighthearted bickering. He was glad Scotty and Uhura had made it past the incident with Mira. Ever since then, Uhura, though subtly, had let it be known that Scotty was taken. They'd kept whatever their relationship was before that so private that no one except McCoy had known there was a relationship.

With a sigh, McCoy knocked back the last of his drink. "Thanks for that, Scotty." He stood slowly, letting out a few quiet groans as his body adjusted itself. "I'm making the rounds, so I better head out."

"I doubt the captain's got anything better than that scotch," Scotty said.

"I'll let you know." McCoy moved to the door. "It'll probably be Romulan ale," he muttered as he left.

* * *

**A/N: And with that, we're done, unless something comes to me that just has to be added. From this point, the movies can take place assuming Scotty and Uhura are together, they just don't flaunt it like one of those annoying and sickeningly cute couples. The only thing that would change slightly is their interaction in ****_The Final Frontier_****. The final change I would make is that Scotty doesn't get trapped in that transporter to be rescued by Picard's crew. I have more than a little hostility against ****_TNG_**** for stealing ****_Enterprise_****'s final episode, so in retaliation they don't get to have Scotty. **

**I didn't include anything about Spock in that little conversation because I don't think anybody would know what he was planning on doing. In my head, I see him trying unsuccessfully to serve under another captain and then returning to Vulcan to complete Kolinahr.**

**Bibliography of sorts:**

**Utopia Planitia Yards Starship Guide**

**Memory Alpha wiki **

**Chakoteya dot net (for transcripts)**


End file.
